Every Song Off Taylor Swift's reputation album RANKED [Track-by-Track Review] Part 1

Taylor Swift's reputation Review

On Friday, November 10th 2017, Taylor Swift released her 6th album reputation. I'm a HUGE Taylor Swift fan. Since then, I have been listening to reputation every day on my hour-long commute to work. About a week has passed so I am ready to share my opinions about it with a track-by-track ranking of each song on the album.

15) So It Goes

Last place goes to So It Goes. I have heard this song many times in the last week but I cannot tell you what it's about. It's a forgettable song. Taylor sings the chorus in a soft, muted tone where it sounds like even she is bored. The words, "so it goes," implies sadly conceding to the boring reality in front of us. I assume, "So It Goes," is a love song so why is Taylor not excited and happy about her love for this guy? She also sprinkles sexy lyrics like "scratches down your back," and, "You know I'm not a bad girl, but I do bad things with you." When I listen to those lyrics, they just sound forced - like she put them there just to make this boring song edgier. I don't feel that way about "Dress, "which I think is a much better song.

Favorite Lyrics: You did a number on me/But, honestly, baby, who's counting?/I did a number on you/But, honestly, baby, who's counting?

14) Look What You Made Me Do

This was the first song Taylor released from reputation and almost everyone HATED IT. I agreed that it just wasn't a good song. Musically, it sounds cheap especially because of the Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy sample used in such a weird context. Taylor Swift has a bad habit of choosing the WORST songs for singles (like Bad Blood and Shake It Off are her WORST songs from 1989). I do like the beginning verses of the song - it's just when it hits the chorus that my brain gets turned off. The lyrics are true pop - boring, repetitive, and meaningless.  

The lyrics also contain a lot of childish lines. It's been pointed out that, "Look what you made me do" is something abusive people say. That's what is interesting about this song - it reminds me both of my abusers and myself. As I talked about in my post about Taylor's If You're Anything Like Me Poem, I went through something similar last year when my friends stabbed me in the back in a gruesome way. When my ex-friends hurt me, they said that I was the one who made them do it. However, the lyrics "Locked me out and threw a feast," reminds me of myself and how hurt I felt so it goes both ways.

Also, what did we make Taylor do? Release this song? Re-invent her image? What did she do to Kanye or Kim? The chorus is so vague. 

"I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now.Why? Oh, 'cause she's dead!" is cringey but also funny. Taylor Swift is pretty funny.

Favorite Lyrics: "Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours."

13) Don't Blame Me

As a huge fan of the TV show Crazy Ex Girlfriend, I am wary of depictions of "crazy in love." This song feels like a cliché. Yeah, yeah, you want a love that makes you crazy. Hunter Hayes sang that 4 years ago. The only reason this song is so high on the list is because at least the music sounds good even though I may not like the lyrical matter. She sounds so happy being addicted to her drug of choice - love and her baby. But I hate addictions - they really take a toll on mental health and so I can't get behind that sentiment. 

Favorite Lyrics: "I once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisy." - Looks like someone was reading The Great Gatsby.

12) ...Ready For It

My biggest problem with Taylor's new musical style is that I don't like the EDM sound. There are too many random sound effects which makes it sound in-cohesive and cheesy. I think the producer of this song tried too hard to incorporate EDM elements. I do like the "dot dot dot" sounds in the beginning because it at least makes sense with the title of the song. I do like the lyrical content in some places. For example, the line "And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor," is a clever, punny line. (She is referring to Elizabeth Taylor but her name is Taylor too!) Also, I like how this song accomplishes what it set out to do. It gets us excited for a new romance.

The lines, "In the middle of the night, in my dreams/You should see the things we do, baby," remind me of an older Taylor Swift song. She's written so many songs that maybe she's accidentally started using the same lyrics LOL. In Taylor Swift's song "Untouchable" from Fearless, she sings "In the middle of the night when I'm in this dream. It's like a million little stars spelling out your name." The first line is almost exactly the same!

I read somewhere, maybe on Tumblr, that the line "Touch me and you'll never be alone," has a double meaning. It also means that if you start a romance with Taylor, your life will change and the paparazzi will always be with you - a much more heartbreaking interpretation. 

Favorite Lyrics: "And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor."

11) Call It What You Want

This song sounds good and there are some great lines. The lyrics that touch me the most are, "I brought a knife to a gunfight," "Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night," and "Would you run away with me? Yes".  What I don't like about this song is how Taylor tries to convince us she isn't the naive girl dreaming of "fairy-tale" love but that's exactly how she sounds in this song. She is saying that her current boyfriend is saving her from the darkness she is currently experiencing. She's basically saying, "Yes, my reputation got ruined but at least I have a boyfriend who loves me!!!" which I find a little childish. Maybe I am a little salty because I went through some back-stabbing heartbreak, but I don't have a boyfriend to show off. So that is where I stop relating to the song.

About the lyrics: "I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck/Chain round my neck/Not because he owns me." I mean, no one was thinking he owned you until you said it, and now it is awkward.

Favorite Lyrics: "Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night."

10) King of My Heart

This song is fun! Calling herself an, "American Queen," and pronouncing "Jaguars," the way she does makes this song an upbeat, good time. It's way better than "So It Goes," because she is celebrating her love and seeming genuinely excited about it. King of My Heart also doesn't mention her tarnished reputation, which is a relief because sometimes it doesn't fit in with the theme of the song. 

The lyrics, "Is this end of all the endings?" worry me. With my Target Taylor Swift Magazine, I got a poster that said the same line, but unfortunately I cannot relate to that line and have never felt what it is saying. Is she aware that EVERYTHING ends? Even if Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn end up married, unfortunately there will be an end (death). Also, you shouldn't be SO scared of endings. Sometimes things end and it's for the best. But I understand the sentiment of these lyrics: she is so excited and hopeful that this relationship will last.

Favorite Lyrics: "My broken bones are mending."

9) Dancing With Our Hands Tied

I like this song because it reminds me of 1989. Some of the love songs on reputation sound too naive; Taylor is TOO sure that Joe is awesome and their love is great. In 1989, she would talk about how her relationship with Harry Styles was passionate but complicated. I thought it was nice that Taylor discussed the good and bad sides of love. Here she does the same thing, Taylor says she is in love with this person but is worried that the world (media) will break them up. It's interesting to note that I have no idea WHO this song is about!! But it looks like she was right when she sang, "I had a bad feeling," because she goes to mention that, "I'd hold you as the water rushes in/If I could dance with you again." This implies that the relationship did end and she misses him.

Favorite Lyrics: "So, baby, can we dance? Oh, through an avalanche?"

Every Song Off Taylor Swift's reputation album RANKED [Track-by-Track Review] Part 2

Thanks for reading my review! These are just the 15th - 9th place songs. Please click here to read Part 2 where I discuss the top 8 best reputation songs.

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Crazy Ex Girlfriend Rant: New York City Is Closer To The Beach Than West Covina

In season one of Crazy Ex Girlfriend, we hear Rebecca say constantly that she moved to West Covina because she is a "beach gal" and she wanted to be near the beach. I also remember Greg Serrano saying, "We're 4 hours from the beach, I know people say it's 2 but those people are dumb." I live near NYC (Jersey Girl), and during the summer months people go to the Jersey Shore almost every weekend. To me, being four hours from the beach is wayyyy too much. That's why I decided to investigate.

NYC Time Square to the Beach

According to Google Maps, from Times Square to Coney Island, it would take you 41 minutes to get to the beach.

West Covina to the Beach

According to Google Maps, from West Covina to Santa Monica, it would take you 53 minutes to get to the beach.

Looks like NYC is closer to the beach than West Covina by 10 minutes. I wonder why the Crazy Ex Girlfriend cast didn't do their research on this? They keep on saying it is ATLEAST 2 hours from the beach, and four in traffic. I can't imagine it taking four hours to drive the above distance. If you live in Southern California and can shed light on this subject, please let me know in the comments or on my social media as I am interested in why the writers were so wrong about this.

I've heard that Southern California culture is impacted by the beach. They are wayyyy more relaxed and chill compared to New Yorkers. I've heard that East Coast culture is much more busy and cut-throat than West Coast culture so maybe that is why the writers mention the closeness to the beach so much.

But come on Rebecca, you need to relax on the beach after being a high strung New York lawyer? Go to Coney Island, or Staten Island, or even the Jersey Shore! Don't move all the way to West Covina LOL

Anyway, thanks for coming along this (unnecessary) investigative journey!

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In my previous blog post, I wrote about how I think Rebecca has Borderline Personality Disorder and I was indeed correct! *pats self on the back* AND my article did the same thing the show did - list out the signs of BPD and give examples to how Rebecca met those signs. CXG writers and I - we think similarly!

Source: The CW & itsbriankinney

Josh is officially irrelevant. If you look at the future titles for this season, the pattern of always having Josh's name is now over. Next episode is called, "Getting Over Jeff" which will be a Paula centered episode (and is also the mid season finale and also airs in 3 weeks on Dec 8 boo).

It's always darkest before the dawn. Last episode, I was in tears at Rebecca's suicide attempt and now everything seems so rosy! The song, "A Diagnosis," was cheery and fun and hopeful. And now, I see such a hopeful future for Rebecca. I know there are a lot more episodes of Crazy Ex Girlfriend to come so I know it can't be smooth sailing from here on out but I'm glad Rebecca knows her diagnosis and is taking steps to heal.

I'm glad they made a point to say, "Suicide isn't caused by one person or event; it's because of mental illness." Take that, 13 Reasons Why.


Nathaniel's story really shed a light on his character. He almost had a panic attack whenever he thought about his mom's suicide attempt so we can see he is also affected by mental issues. I also now know WHY Nathaniel likes Rebecca. As they repeat many times during this show and also said during "Maybe She's Not A Heinous Bitch," - "When we're finding a mate, it's our parents we're thinking of." Rebecca reminds Nathaniel of his mom!!

This episode is the first time I have hope that Rebecca and Nathaniel are end game. Nathaniel was so sweet after her suicide attempt. That last scene with him leaving roses at her door was so adorable!! He was finally able to write a heartfelt note to her (after trying so many times to find the right words).  I think maybe Rebecca will learn how to love healthily through her BPD treatment and Nathaniel will also deal with his own issues and in the end, maybe they will end up together!

In conclusion, my main takeaway from this episode was HOPE. I am so excited for a beautiful future for everyone the show.

Previous Episode	All Crazy Ex Girlfriend Posts	Next Episode
I Never Want to See Josh Again: Crazy Ex Girlfriend S3E5 Review	All Crazy Ex Girlfriend Posts	Getting Over Jeff: Crazy Ex Girlfriend Mid-Season Finale S3E7 Review

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How Taylor Swift's "If You're Anything Like Me" reputation Poem Helped Me Heal

To be honest, I am going through a Taylor Swift phase because her new album reputation has just been released. On the internet, I came across one of the LOVELY poems Taylor wrote for her Target Magazines and I fell in love with it. I fell so much in love with it that I actually bought the magazine. I wanted to talk about my favorite part of the poem "If You're Anything Like Me"

And no amount of friends at 25
Will fill the empty seats
At the lunch tables of your past
The teams that picked you last...
But Darling, you keep trying.

If you're anything like me,
You couldn't recognize the face of love
Until they stripped you of your shiny paint
Threw your victory flag away
And you saw the ones who wanted you anyway...
Darling, later on you will thank your stars
for that frightful day.

If you're anything like me,
I'm sorry.

But Darling, it's going to be okay.

I haven't talked about it on my blog yet - but I will soon - that I, too, have been betrayed and hurt by my friends. That is why I can relate to much of Taylor Swift's new material. I can relate to "here's to my real friends," and "here's to my mama," and, "I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em," but most of all, I can relate to this poem.

Taylor titled the poem, "If You're Anything Like Me." And I want to say- I am very much like her. And not because I "bite my nails" or "laugh when I'm nervous" as written in the first stanza (you can see the full poem here.) I'm sure everyone does those things. I am like Taylor because I am sensitive,  I am insecure, and I also put my trust in people who ended up using it to hurt me.

"empty seats at lunch tables" can bring up a friendship betrayal I experienced 10 years ago. And 10 years later, I am still in a similar situation. Last year, I could recognize that I was hanging out with the "cool" people at work. I remember thinking to myself - huh, do I really belong here? But I didn't push the question further. I said yes to outings that weren't fun for me and made me feel like an outsider. Those people didn't care about me. And when my friends stabbed me so violently in the back - I could finally see it. I could finally break free and make a vow to hang out with only those people who made an effort to care about me.

Maybe when I was hanging out with the <quote>cool people.<unqote>, I had the victory flag in my hands and was doused in the shiny paint. I was like "look, I am not lame like I was in high school! I am normal and I have friends *cue Crazy Ex Girlfriend's song I Have Friends*" But then my friends stabbed me in the back and took that victory flag away. And I was left with my friend count cut in half. But in that moment, I realized this was the real me. I will never be that popular, cool girl. That's when I realized which friends really loved me (saw the face of love). And one year later, maybe I am happy for that frightful day. I wish I had realized these friends were no good for me sooner and without such back-stabbings, but alas. I think I will recognize it better in the future.

Taylor telling me that she is sorry for the pain I am experiencing comforts me. Even though she doesn't know my struggles, it's nice to think she understands and is also going through something similar. I also like how she tells me that it's going to be okay. There is hope. She and I are both resilient. We will find our place in the world.

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Why I Think Crazy Ex Girlfriend's Rebecca Bunch Has Borderline Personality Disorder

As mentioned in the following tweet, it looks like Rebecca Bunch's mental illness will be diagnosed next episode!

That is the next episode

— Rachel Bloom (@Racheldoesstuff) November 11, 2017

It's four days before the episode so I wanted to jot down my thoughts on Rebecca's mental illness. Before I start, I want to say that mental illnesses are linked with each other so many times people can have multiple diagnoses linked to them. I think it's very obvious that Rebecca has Depression and Anxiety. The "not so talked about" mental illness I think she has is Borderline Personality Disorder.

Depression: Rebecca was so drawn to the "Are You Happy?" Butter ad because she was deeply unhappy. When her "quack" psychiatrist in NY gave her such emotion-numbing pills, it made her feel nothing. Depression can make people feel empty, and these pills probably increased her emptiness. Right before Rebecca's suicide attempt, she was severely depressed. She didn't wash her hair/bathe, and didn't care about what was happening in the outside world. A symptom of depression is loosing interest in things that you used to care about. She also slept A LOT which is another symptom of Depression. She felt hopeless because she felt she had severely burned all her bridges and she didn't have anything to look forward to. On the plane, she mentioned that she felt too tired to do ANYTHING; fatigue is also another symptom.

Anxiety: Her anxiety can be seen in the song "We Tapped That Ass," where the ghosts of her too ex-boyfriends haunt her. Anxiety can also be seen manifested in Young Rebecca after she reveals all her secrets to Josh at the church. You can see her walking into her job talking to herself, distracted, and visible anxious.

Borderline Personality Disorder: This is a very interesting disorder. Google defines the disorder as "A mental disorder characterized by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships." I am not great at explaining the mental illnesses so I will just list some symptoms and explain how they relate to our dear Rebecca. These symptoms come from HelpGuide.com

Fear of Abandonment: Rebecca has a fear of abandonment due to her father and Robert leaving her. It is also based on her mother who wasn't a stable, loving figure. People with BPD desperately do whatever they can to stop the abandonment. For example, Rebecca tried so hard to make her father love her all through her life, She also impulsively believed she was pregnant to convince Josh to stay when she felt him drifting away from her.

Unstable Relationships: HelpGuide.com states, "People with BPD tend to have relationships that are intense and short-lived. You may fall in love quickly, believing each new person is the one who will make you feel whole, only to be quickly disappointed." Need I say more? This is exactly the premise of the show.

Unclear or unstable self-image: Rebecca does have an unstable self-image and you see that in her songs. One second she is singing about how she is the "Villain in her own story" or a "Stupid Bitch." The next she is singing about how two men are in love with her in "Love Triangle." The reason why she moved all the way to West Covina is because she wanted to change her image as a ruthless, unhappy lawyer to a happy, beach gal.

Impulsive, self-destructive behaviors: HelpGuide.com states, "If you have BPD, you may engage in harmful, sensation-seeking behaviors, especially when you’re upset." Case in point: Rebecca sleeping with Greg's dad impulsively because she was upset Josh never wanted to see her again. Honestly, I think Rebecca's impulsiveness is one of the most glaring symptom of whatever mental illness she does have. Rebecca impulsively spends money whether its putting 10,000 in a car to win a case or spending 10,000 to move up her wedding. She impulsively kisses (Nathaniel) or sleeps with people (Greg's Dad) even when she knows she should not. She impulsively yells at Josh in front of a church and reveals all her secrets which damages her in the end.

Self-harm: suicide attempt.

Feeling suspicious or out of touch with reality: Being out of touch with reality can be seen in how Rebecca does go into a fantasy world and imagines all these musical numbers. In addition, we saw real paranoia and suspicion when her friends did that intervention in S2E5. She accused Nathaniel of scheming with her friends behind her back which is a really huge jump (and also not true!) She also impulsively and quickly assumed that her friends wanted nothing to do with her after learning about her Robert's history. She assumed that her friends and mom were scheming to put her into a mental institution. She assumed that the no longer loved or cared about her.

In conclusion, these are my feelings towards Rebecca's diagnosis. I'm sure whatever Rachel and Aline have researched for Rebecca will be the true diagnosis, but I just want to let you know my thoughts!

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